I think it was Aridas that came up with the advanced circumferential engine (ACE) nacelle design we saw. His were much wider and rather flat. Ironically, he thought of having a return to the red-nosed nacelle--with the nacelle being between the saucer and secondary hull--long before the TNG galaxy class.

Now the galaxy class you are thinking about was the smller Magellenic Cloud class ship in the novelization of STIII. Wasn't it slimmer than a connie--and unarmed?

You will not find the ships of the Eternal Vigilance class on any fleet roster. You will not find their construction contracts in any shipyard database. You will never see one, even if you encounter one. If you were to by some happenstance catch a glimpse of one, you would be well served never to speak of it.

Ships of the Eternal Vigilance class have been constructed and are operated exclusively by crews belonging to Starfleet Intelligence. They are the stealthiest starships in the fleet, virtually undetectable at medium to long range even though they conform to the various treaties between the Federation and Romulus that forbid Federation ships from using cloaking technology.

Every aspect of their construction facilitates their ability to pass unseen, from their tightly controlled warp signatures to the sensor-absorbent plating on their hulls. Any potentially energy emitting source onboard is either baffled or otherwise shielded to minimize those emissions. Even the warp nacelle flux chiller grills have armored baffles that can be slid into place to prevent their characteristic blue glow from being seen while in operation, though the panels do hinder operational efficiency by a factor of ~15%.

SI uses these ships for surveillance and covert insertion operations, typically in areas on the fringes of or outside of the Federation proper.

You will not find the ships of the Eternal Vigilance class on any fleet roster. You will not find their construction contracts in any shipyard database. You will never see one, even if you encounter one. If you were to by some happenstance catch a glimpse of one, you would be well served never to speak of it.

Ships of the Eternal Vigilance class have been constructed and are operated exclusively by crews belonging to Starfleet Intelligence. They are the stealthiest starships in the fleet, virtually undetectable at medium to long range even though they conform to the various treaties between the Federation and Romulus that forbid Federation ships from using cloaking technology.

Every aspect of their construction facilitates their ability to pass unseen, from their tightly controlled warp signatures to the sensor-absorbent plating on their hulls. Any potentially energy emitting source onboard is either baffled or otherwise shielded to minimize those emissions. Even the warp nacelle flux chiller grills have armored baffles that can be slid into place to prevent their characteristic blue glow from being seen while in operation, though the panels do hinder operational efficiency by a factor of ~15%.

SI uses these ships for surveillance and covert insertion operations, typically in areas on the fringes of or outside of the Federation proper.